Nothing.

It surrounded her. No color, no shapes, no sound. Just an absolute nothingness that chilled her to her very core, reminding her why she hated to be alone.

"Elphie?"

She turned when she sensed a familiar presence beside her.

"Elphie?"

She tried again, swallowing hard as her own voice echoed around her.

"Elphaba Thropp you answer me this instant!"

"I'm here, Glinda."

She took a half step backward when her lover suddenly appeared before her.

"Elphie?" She eyed the green woman. "Is that really you?"

"It's really me."

"Oh Elphie!" She rushed toward her, taking her in her arms. "Why didn't you answer me?"

"I was trying but you couldn't hear me." Elphaba held her close for a moment before pulling back to take in their surroundings. "Where are we?"

Glinda shrugged. "I have no idea. But it's creepy."

"You can say that again."

"It's creepy." The corner of Glinda's mouth turned up at the look she got. "Sorry. I couldn't resist."

"And I wouldn't expect you to." Elphaba returned her grin as she continued to look around. "I wonder how we get out of here."

"I'm just glad you're here with me." Glinda skipped the question, knowing Elphie didn't expect her to answer anyway.

"Me too." Elphaba took the blonde's hand, giving it a loving squeeze.

"Ow."

"Sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you."

"You didn't." Glinda frowned.

"Then what's the matter?"

"I don't know. It's like my whole body started aching all of a sudden. Oh!" She used her free hand to massage her jaw.

It was Elphaba's turn to frown. "Are you all right?"

Glinda half shook her head. "I don't think so."

"That's it. We've got to find a way to get..." She suddenly stumbled, hissing in pain.

"Elphie?" Glinda watched some of the green leak from her lover's cheeks. "What is it?!"

"My..." Elphaba spoke through clinched teeth. "My head..."

"What's wrong?"

"Feels like it's... splitting in... in two." Her knees suddenly buckled.

"Elphie!" Glinda did her best to hold her up but she just wasn't strong enough. All she could do was watch as her girlfriend disappeared into the nothingness again. "Elphie?!"

"Glinda!!"

The name flew from Elphaba's mouth as her eyes snapped open.

"Elphaba?" Addena somehow managed not to be startled by the outburst. "Elphaba, can you hear me?"

Whiskey brown eyes met blue for a second, a much weaker "Glinda" passing her lips before she slid into unconsciousness again.

"What in Oz was that?" Penny looked at her over the prone witch.

Addena shook her head. "I'm not sure."

"What happened?" The Wizard, who had taken up pacing in the hallway outside the rooms that held his daughters, asked as he came racing in.

"She woke up." Addena answered.

"She's conscious?" His voice was hopeful.

"No." Penny shook her head.

"But I thought..."

"It was only for a second." Addena clarified.

The Wizard sighed. "What does that mean? Her waking up. What difference does it make to her condition?"

"I hate to say it, but I really don't know." Addena sounded frustrated. "I haven't had much experience with head injuries."

"At least you're trying to help her." Penny showed her support.

"Yes you are." The Wizard agreed.

Addena mumbled, "It just doesn't seem like enough."

The Wizard gripped her shoulder. "Can you do anything else for her right now?"

"No." She shook her head sadly. "The bump on her head is the only injury I could find besides a couple of bruises on her side."

"Then why don't you go try to get some rest?" He raised an eyebrow when she started to protest. "Your mother is in with Breena and I'll stay here with Elphaba. We can send someone to get you if there's any change with either of them."

"I'll help them." Penny volunteered. "He's right, Addena. You need to rest. You're going to exhaust yourself and then you won't be any good to anyone."

"Maybe you're right."

"Of course we are." The Wizard steered her toward the door.

"You promise to come get me if there's any change, any change at all with either of them?"

"We promise." Penny confirmed.

"Then I guess I'll go to my parents room. It's just down the hall and..."

"Your mother can point us in the right direction. Now quit stalling and go." The Wizard stopped once they reached the door. "And I mean to rest when I say rest." He gave her a stern look. "No pacing around the room or lying on the bed staring at the ceiling."

"Yes sir."

He pulled her into a hug. "Please keep in mind that I'm doing this for your own good. You're one of my girls now, Addena. I can't have anything happening to you too."

She pulled back with a slight grin. "I know."

"Good." The Wizard returned her grin. "Now go and don't come back for at least a few hours."

"I'll do my best."

"I'll walk with you." Penny followed her out of the room, earning herself a grateful look from the Wizard as she passed him.

He waited until they were well down the hall to turn and walk back into the room. "All right," he sat on the edge of the bed, taking his daughter's hand in his own. "I told your sister and now I'm telling you. Stay with us, Elphaba." Tears swam in his eyes as he pressed a kiss to her knuckles. "Please."

"Elphie!" At the exact moment that Elphaba's eyes flew open at Upland Manor, Glinda woke up too. "Elphie?!"

"Shut up!" A voice growled in her ear. One she recognized right away.

"Eadlyn."

"I said to shut up!"

He was cowed down behind her, his face buried against her neck as he tried to use her as a shield against the driving rain.

Glinda blinked water out of her eyes. "Where are we?"

"What part of shut up don't you understand?"

"I..."

He pinched her side. "SHUT UP!"

She bit her lip to keep from crying out, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of knowing how much it hurt, but she didn't speak again either. Her body ached bad enough without antagonizing him into adding more bruises to her already tender side.

Images sped through her mind, a new memory assaulting her each time a raindrop hit her. Confronting Eadlyn. Elphie's vision. Eadlyn going berserk and killing the guards. Fiyero getting shot. Being pistol whipped. Waking up in Eadlyn's arms. Elphie on her broom. Jumping off of the horse. Elphie looking down at her. Eadlyn attacking them. Elphie telling her to run. Eadlyn killing Elphie.

That last thought made her breath catch in her throat as tears blurred her already waterlogged vision. Eadlyn was wrong. Elphie wasn't dead. She couldn't be. It just wasn't possible. They were supposed to spend eternity together.

"Finally."

Eadlyn's voice didn't even register with her. Neither did the fact that they were coming to the mouth of a cave. She was too busy imagining her life without Elphie in it.

"Get down."

No more feeling those long, slender fingers intertwining with her own. No more staring into those bottomless eyes.

"Did you hear me? I said get down."

No more kissing those soft green lips. No more time spent cuddling in bed after making love.

"Get down!"

She felt the hands shoving her out of the saddle a split second before she hit the ground.

"What are you doing?!"

A man she'd never seen before was suddenly at her side.

"I told her to get down three times." Eadlyn spoke as he climbed out of the saddle. "It's not my fault she suddenly went deaf."

"Are you all right miss..." The man's voice trailed off. "Glinda the Good?" He turned to Eadlyn, eyes wide. "What are you doing with Glinda the Good?!"

"She's the sister of that girl I was supposed to marry. Things went south but I still need the money I was trying to get out of their old man, so I took her."

"You kidnaped Glinda the Good?!"

Eadlyn shrugged. "What if I did?"

"What if you..." The man shook his head in disbelief. "You do know who she is, right?"

"Yes. So please don't say 'Glinda the Good' again. You sound like a demented parrot."

"She's the sweetheart of Oz, Eadlyn. Everyone and their brother is going to be looking for her."

Eadlyn grinned. "Then I guess her father better cough up the money I'm going to ask for."

"No, you better let her go."

"Why would I want to do that?"

"Did you not hear what I said? Everyone and their brother is going to be looking for her!"

"So."

"So? So! Do you really want to spend the rest of your life in Southstairs for daring to touch a hair on her head? People won't just be looking for you, they'll be out for blood. Or have you forgotten the hunting parties that formed when everyone hated the Wicked Witch of the West?"

"First of all, I'm not some freak that flies around on a broom." Eadlyn pointed at his chest. "Secondly, I'm taking her home. Once I hit the Winkie mountains no one will be able to find us."

"I wouldn't count on that." The man shook his head. "She has some friends in very high places."

"Do you mean people like the Wizard or Elphaba?"

"Elphaba?"

"Yes, Elphaba. Formerly known as the Wicked Witch of the West."

"Oh. Then yes. I mean people like them."

"Don't worry. They're going to be too busy to even worry about her being gone."

The man frowned. "What do you mean?"

"The Wizard will be in mourning."

"Mourning?" The man's frown deepened. "What are you talking about?"

"Taking little Miss Glinda here wasn't as easy as I anticipated. I had to kill four Gale Force guards and some close personal friend of the family to get to her."

"You killed five people?"

Eadlyn shook his head. "No, I killed six."

"But you just said..."

"You didn't let me finish." Eadlyn interrupted him. "Elphaba came after us. You see, she and Glinda are lovers." He raised his hand to stop the man from speaking. "I know, hard to believe someone that looks like that would shack up with another woman, but it's true. So I had to kill Elphaba too."

"You..." The man's mouth hung open at this point. "You killed the Witch?"

Eadlyn nodded. "Practically knocked her head off with a tree branch."

Glinda whimpered at his words.

"Shut up." Eadlyn snapped at her before grinning at the man. "Pretty cool, huh? You can say you work for the man who finally rid Oz of their greatest enemy."

"I... You..." The man stammered.

"Look at that." Eadlyn's grin grew into a full fledged smile. "Someone finally rendered you speechless." He looked around the cave. "Where's Gregor? I can't wait to tell him."

"I..." The man tried to regain his composure. "I'm the only one here."

"The only one?" Eadlyn's smile started to fade. "How is that possible?"

"The Gale Force attacked the camp. At first it was just a handful of them but then reinforcements showed up. A few of us managed to escape into the woods but the guards followed. I'm still not sure how I managed to get away."

"So those bastards arrested Gregor?" He rolled his eyes. "I guess we're going to have to stage a jail break before we can head for Winkie Country. The Gale Force set up shop at Upland Manor. The place is too big for them to be able to patrol every inch of the woods surrounding it so sneaking in should be easy enough. Finding him might take a few minutes though." He sighed. "Gregor better appreciate all the trouble we're going to to get him back."

"That's just it." The man finally spoke again. "They didn't arrest him."

"What do you mean they didn't arrest him? You just told me you were the only one who got away."

"I am. They, uh..." The man clinched his jaw. "I know this isn't going to be easy for you to hear, but Gregor is dead."

"What?!"

"I saw him get shot."

"How do you know it killed him?"

"It was a head shot, Eadlyn."

"Shit. Shit!" Eadlyn's bellow echoed around the cave. "This is all your fault!" He turned his rage on Glinda, glaring down at her where she still laid on the ground. "He was like a brother to me!!" He tried to kick her in the stomach but the man grabbed his leg to stop him. "What are you doing?!"

"She wasn't even there, Eadlyn."

"I don't care!"

"It wasn't her fault!" The man raised his voice to keep Eadlyn from trying to hurt Glinda again. "You yourself said you need the money you can get out of her."

"And?!"

"How much do you think her father is going to pay for damaged goods? Or, worse yet, a dead daughter?"

"I..." Eadlyn growled in frustration. "Damn it!!"

"I know losing Gregor is hard but taking it out on her isn't going to help anything." The man gave his words a moment to sink in. "The supplies are along the back wall. Why don't you go dry off, change your clothes and find us some of that rot gut you like so much. We can give Gregor a proper send of."

"What about her?" Eadlyn glared at Glinda.

"I'll take care of her."

"OK." He nodded. "You take care of her."

"I will." The man assured him, waiting until he had disappeared into the shadows at the back of the cave to turn his attention back to the blonde on the ground. "Glinda? Can you hear me?"

She shrank away from his hand. "Don't touch me."

"I'm not going to hurt you. I promise. My name is Mason and I'm going to get you out of here."

Glinda looked at him for the first time. "What?"

He nodded. "I always knew Eadlyn was crazy, but this is downright insane. He'll never get out of the Uplands with you."

"But... I thought you were his friend."

"I've been a lot of things to Eadlyn but a friend has never been one of them."

"So you're really going to help me?"

Mason nodded. "I'm really going to help you."

"Why?" Glinda frowned. "What's in it for you?"

"The chance to redeem myself for ever being associated with someone like him." Mason glanced toward the back to make sure Eadlyn was still out of earshot. "Did he really do all those things he said? Did he really kill all those people?"

Glinda sniffled as she nodded.

"Including the Witch?"

"Elphie..." Fresh tears slid down the blonde's cheeks.

"Shhh. Don't cry. I'm only asking because I think he's lying."

"You..." Glinda swallowed around the lump in her throat. "You do?"

"He's always been a braggart."

"But he really did..." Her voice cracked with emotion. "He hurt her."

"Hurting her and killing her are two entirely different things. Did you see that she was dead?"

Glinda shook her head, not trusting her voice to answer.

"Then maybe he just knocked her out. Maybe she's looking for you right now."

She didn't want the ember of hope that ignited in the pit of her stomach to spread, but what if he was right? Hadn't she just been with Elphie? Yes it was in some strange place but they were together. She could still remember the feel of the green woman in her arms.

"I'm going to go get you some dry clothes. All we have are trousers and shirts but I'm sure I can find something remotely close to your size. Then while you're changing I'll get you something to eat."

"I'm not..."

"Don't even say it." Mason cut her off. "You're going to have to keep your strength up if we're going to stand a chance of getting away from him. We can't do that until there's a break in the weather. So until then you're going to let me take care of you. Deal?"

She nodded. "Deal."

"Good."

Glinda reached for his hand as he started to stand. "Thank you."

Mason gave her a half grin. "Don't thank me yet."